Job Discussion Forums

[Nicfishn]

So, I've been trying to deal with a particularly bothersome matter now since the beginning of the fall semester and I could really use some input from you guys and gals, as I am now at a total loss.

I've switched school this year to try something different in a new city. Everything seemed great at first. The FAO and all the other administration folks are actually really friendly and helpful. The problem I'm having is with online harassment from a coworker who I'm pretty sure is clinically insane.

So here's the deal. She logs onto this blog which belongs to a local news reporter (which has TONS of followers) and fills the comments of all the reporter's blog posts with these crazy made up stories trashing my new school, FAO and his co-workers and myself. It doesn't stop there. After every comment she posts, she logs in with another username and pretends to be someone else backing her stuff up. And repeats this step every 10 minutes (on average) with different usernames. So far, she's been doing this all week. everyday, basically all day long.

She's saying all kinds of stuff like how my girlfriend is a student at the school, and how I'm just keeping her around until I get bored and move on to another student in one of my classes strikes my fancy (By the way, my GF of almost two years and I are both in our late 20s). Other comments written by her seem to be kindly encouraging me to find a better job at some other school where my talents are greatly desired, while others are aggressively calling out my school to fire me.

Her main gripe seems to keep going back to the fact that I live together with my girlfriend on campus. She is going so insane over the fact that my girlfriend and I are not married in all of her various user's "comments" that my FAO even suggested this morning that I should consider marrying my girlfriend as a possible remedy to the problem. No joke. Seriously.

Now my school is feeling the heat as these public comments are viewed by so many people. They are trying to force my girlfriend and I out of the comfy and conveniently located foreign teacher's dorms and into the top-ish floor of some noisy gross old (no elevator) building (still on campus) away from the crazy lady. So this psycho is basically running the show at this point. The school is not offering to provide any off campus rent subsidy, and basically wont budge at all when it comes to offering any other solution to the problem (other than their brilliant and oh so romantic marriage idea). The school claims that some local teachers live there, but when they finally agreed to let me check it out before agreeing to move there, it looked like no one had set foot in that small moldy cement box for decades. Nothing but lights, a sink and a toilet/shower combo.

I'm speechless. Not only is the stuff Psycho FT has been saying not true at all, but up till now I haven't even met this woman yet! I only know that she is the only other foreigner employed at this institution and that she lives in the dorm/apartment directly below mine.

What to do?? I signed a contract with the school before the semester even started. But I signed it believing that as a foreign teacher I would actually, you know, get to live in the freaking foreign teacher's dorms!!


I'm really sorry for this long rant, but after living in China for nearly three years, this is the first time that I've come up against something so incredibly ridiculous. I never thought my biggest obstacle in China would actually be another foreign teacher. I've never even considered breaking a contract before, even when faced with oddball levels of China strangeness. I gotta know, what would you do?

[Capt Lugwash]

Sorry but I have a problem believing this tale.

You have just arrived and already a hate campaign has started?

The school know it is the other FT that is doing it?

The school are embarrassed at the bad press she is giving you but their answer is to move you or you get married?

Sorry. Not plausible.

[roadwalker]

Why are you so sure it's the foreign teacher you are accusing? If it is her, why not ask the FAO for a meeting with both of you, or all four of you (including your gf)? If that doesn't work, why not knock on her door since you know where she lives? Seems odd that you would know all of that.

Assuming this isn't a troll post, I'd personally ignore her online postings. As you meet teachers, students, and others and introduce your girlfriend and facts come out about your relationship etc, anyone who really gave a spit about your personal details as written on someone's blog would realize whom it is that they should believe.

[talentedcrayon]

I don't think this guy is a troll. He has a normal post history since 2011.

Contact the webmaster of the site in question. Explain to them that this woman hasn't even met you and is slandering you. Ask if they are willing to take down the posts or block her from the site. Do this before confronting her. It will create the illusion that you have more power and influence than you actually do. Before you do this, take screen shots of everything.

After this, I think confronting her about it directly is a possibility. Tell her you are aware she is posting things about you online. I like the idea above about having a meeting with a nuetral party present (so she cannot lie about what happened later).

Bring copies of what is being posted online.

[likwid_777]

Can you give the ultimatum to the employer, such as:

Either you give her the arse, or I will have to leave for the sake of the school's reputation, and my own well being.

Sorry, that's all I've got. Truly a difficult situation.

Edit- Oh and, I assume you've already done this or know this, but figure out how long she has on her contract, then you can figure out if the light at the end of the tunnel is close enough for you to handle. I guess then there is the possibility of her resigning though... Ugh.

[newmansone]

[Bud Powell]

Mmmmm... believable. Sounds like a nutcase I worked with for one-half of a year. She got me kicked out by posting using my name to a website while trashing the dean of foreign languages.

Be careful.

[newmansone]

And yet the supposed website links haven't been provided. Defend/prove yourself with evidence if you want acceptance.

[litterascriptor]

I wouldn't link to this forum, you'd be giving away your irl identity.

Bad idea with some of these scoffalaws.


Why don't you return the favor by posting comments that the lady is giving her students stinky blumpkins in the staff room between classes?

That or quit.

You both live on campus that most likely has an IT department that can access her internet activity. If the school isn't going to crack down on her when they have access to her internet records, particularly after she slandered one of the Chinese admins as well, then why work for them?


However, before you do anything, what makes you say its her?

[Capt Lugwash]

Sorry but I still don't believe it. The guy has only been there ten minutes and this happens?

Worse, the school apparently not only knows who's doing it but has been given proof. The school is having its reputation tarnished in the process and their only suggestion is the OP marries or moves elsewhere?

I would say in any country there are several grounds for disciplinary action to be taken against the other FT, if not summary dismissal. Two grounds would be bullying and bringing the school into disrepute.

That's why I find it far fetched, along with the OPs username.

[litterascriptor]

I don't doubt someone could take the hump over a young laowai running around with a Chinese girlfriend.

It's plausible.

I've met some really backwards Chinese folks in my day.

Further, I've met several completely insane FTs here in China and in other countries. The kind of people who have been chased out of more than one country for things worst than this.

I think it is plausible, but I wonder what makes him think it is his FT coworker?

[Capt Lugwash]

Even were that true it doesn't explain the school's reaction.

[litterascriptor]

Don't expect his employer to react in a Western manner and it makes more sense. If it was me, I'd be on the line with the IT department finding out if she's the one behind this, if proof was forth coming, I'd be confronting her with it.

I'd then be firing her.

Yet, this is China. Maybe they see how insane she is on the internet and are worried about her using it to attack them more.

It's hard to say.

Maybe the FAO doesn't want to actually have to deal with foreigners and is doing this and hoping the problem just goes away.

Would it be out of character for incompetence from an FAO? Not at all.

I'll admit that this whole story does sound strange and I'm wondering if someone is having some fun with us, but for now, I'm interested in hearing what he has to say about why he thinks it is his coworker.

[Nicfishn]

[litterascriptor]

Well, not sure what to say, if they won't get rid of her, they'll probably be looking to get rid of you. One way or another they'll find a way to make the problem go away.

I encourage you to be careful here because these internet things have a way becoming a life of their own. I left a school on bad terms, they had a foreign teacher attacked on some expat site, first person they blamed was me.

Mind you, I don't have a single nice thing to say about this specific FT, but can't be bothered with spending all day making things up about him. He might be a little backstabbing cretin, yes, but he is a decent teacher and does well by his students.

Like I said, they are going to want to get this to stop, easiest way now is to get rid of you.

Make sure you keep your CV updated.